What do fish fossils tell us about the human body? Ancient fossils, like the Tiktaalik roseae that Dr. Shubin discovered, illustrate the transitional form between fish and land animals. They teach scientists about how our limbs came into being, among other things. But how can scientists predict where to find such transitional fossils? Dr. Shubin will take us from the anatomy laboratory to the Canadian Arctic in search of answers.

Neil Shubin

Neil Shubin is a palaeontologist in the great
tradition of his mentors, Ernst Mayr and Stephen Jay Gould.

He has discovered
fossils around the world that have changed the way we think about many of the
key transitions in evolution and has pioneered a new synthesis of expeditionary
palaeontology, developmental genetics and genomics.

He trained at
Columbia, Harvard and Berkeley and is currently a Professor in the Department
of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago.